John Mehltretter was not expecting a room full of Boy Scout leaders and members, family and friends yelling “Surprise!” when he walked into the weekly Troop 101 meeting at St. John’s Lutheran Church in Kutztown on Tuesday.
His wife Judy wanted to honor him for more than 50 years with the Boy Scouts. She worked with Scoutmaster Keith Lichtenwalner to plan the surprise party to coincide with the Christmas party held at the Dec. 16 meeting.
The boys of Troop 101 sported mustaches, a feature Mehltretter is well known for amongst the group. The celebration started with a roast, where troop leaders poked fun at his prominent mustache, short height and tendency to pack lightly for hiking trips.
Judy told a story of how he became involved with Boy Scout leadership. Mehltretter was involved with Boy Scouts when he was young, even staying involved with his troop at home during college years. He continued to show passion for hiking years later. For a honeymoon, he wanted to go camping and hiking, and Judy agreed. The trip ended up being rainy and windy, and Judy was not an outdoors person like Mehltretter. Before long, she had signed him up with the Boy Scouts in Trexlertown so they could camp and hike with him instead.
Following this memory, she presented him with an award with family roots. In 1995, Mehltretter had awarded his father Jack – a Boy Scout leader himself – a trophy for 50 years of scouting. Instead of a new trophy, Judy gave Mehltretter a plaque to add on to his father’s trophy.
Setbacks did not keep Mehltretter from Boy Scouts, and of course, hiking. One of his favorite memories was working at a Boy Scout camp during two summers in high school. That second summer, he accidentally put an ax in his leg and had to get stitches. His father asked if he wanted to come home to which Mehltretter replied no.
Judy also shared a memory of 18 years ago when Mehltretter fell off a roof and shattered both heels.
“His goal was to get back on his feet and he did that,” she said, referring to how he returned to hiking.
At 63, he still hikes, most recently trekking 50 miles along the Appalachian Trail with Troop 101. On that trip, he encountered a 74-year-old “going strong,” justifying his drive to keep hiking.
“I’ll continue until I can’t do it anymore,” he said.
“John is a hiking machine. John’s idea of fun is taking 15 boys on the Appalachian trail through the rain,” Lichtenwalner said.
The 50-mile hike on the Appalachian Trail was especially rewarding for Mehltretter, since some of the kids said they would never hike again but went on that trip.
Another favorite of his is a full moon trek, where the troop walks with just the light of the moon and makes it to a pinnacle spot in time to see the sunrise.
Initially Mehltretter was a scoutmaster before becoming committee chairman of troop 101 in Kutztown.
Samuel Reimart, an assistant district commissioner for the Boy Scouts, has worked with Mehltretter for 15 years. He said that Mehltretter has been the committee chairman of Troop 101 for 35 years, a position that “is the glue that holds everything together.”
“John has always been there,” Reimart said, reflecting on 15 years of Boy Scouts with Mehltretter.
“He’s either at Troop 101 on Tuesday night or really sick,” said Lichtenwalner, who worked with Mehltretter for 10 years. “He doesn’t miss a chance to be with the boys.”
“I get to see a lot of boys grow from an immature kid into a mature, responsible citizen, and it means I get to have a hand in their development,” Mehltretter said of his continued involvement.
“Without him, this troop wouldn’t be the same,” said Boyd Lenick, a Troop 101 member. “He’s always doing anything to help [Boy Scouts] move [up].
“He’s a great teacher,” added Tom Lenick, an assistant scoutmaster. “He always has a good attitude about him.”
After everyone shared their memories and Mehltretter received a plaque from Troop 101, he expressed his gratitude to many former and current troop leaders and members for showing up. He said it was especially rewarding seeing boys grow into men over the years.
“It’s truly an honor to be recognized. I don’t do it for the recognition. I do it for you guys,” he said, addressing the Boy Scouts and their families crowding the room.
